Hemsley returns to 'old stomping grounds' for show

View full sizePhoto providedSherman Hemsley, born and raised in South Philadelphia, will return to the area to perform at Sarcasm Comedy Club in Cherry Hill, Saturday at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.

For 11 seasons, Sherman Hemsley entered our living rooms as George Jefferson through the magic of the television screen.

Saturday, Hemsley will return to his native area for two appearances at Sarcasm Comedy Club in Cherry Hill.

“That’s my old stomping grounds,” Hemsley said in a telephone interview.

Hemsley was born and raised in South Philly before joining the Air Force and serving for four years. He then moved back to Philadelphia and worked for the U.S. Postal Service before moving to New York to pursue his acting dreams.

He said his show business career actually began in elementary school.

“Making people laugh was automatic,” he said. “I was in a play in elementary school and had to jump up and run away. I was nervous and tripped and fell down and everyone laughed. Their laughter made me relax, so I pretended it was part of the show.”

“It will be a journey through memory lane, looking back over the years,” Hemsley said. “I wanted to return, after all these years, with something fun.”

When he returned to Philadelphia after the Air Force, he joined a theater company.

“I had great training in Philly,” he said. “Everything I did in Philly compares to the things I’ve done professionally. I’m glad I had that experience before I entered the profession.”

When he moved to NYC, Hemsley joined the cast of “Purlie” on Broadway and played the role of Gitlow for three years.

“For three years, on Broadway, I did the same show every night,” he said. “But there was always a new audience and it never got boring.”

It was during that time when television writer and producer Norman Lear approached Hemsley about taking on the role of George Jefferson in Lear’s famous sitcom, “All in the Family.”

Hemsley didn’t join that cast until two years after the offer because he was reluctant to leave his role on Broadway.

However, after less than two years of playing the boisterous but beloved character, George Jefferson— and TV wife Louise — in “All in the Family,” he left to star in his own spin-off sitcom, “The Jeffersons.”

“It was great fun,” Hemsley said. “I got George’s attitude from my time in Philadelphia.”

When the characters of George and Louise Jefferson — played by Hemsley and co-star Isabel Sanford — were first created, Hemsley immediately came up with a nickname for his on-screen wife and real-life friend.

“I asked the producer if I could call Isabel ‘Weezy,’ and he said sure,” Hemsley said. “It stuck and everyone loved it. Isabel even had a license plate that said ‘Weezy.’”

After “The Jeffersons” was canceled in 1985, Hemsley went on to play Ernest Frye in NBC’s “Amen” for five seasons, and was the voice of Bradley P. Richfield on the live-puppet, action series “Dinosaurs” for four seasons ending in 1994.

Now, he is mostly retired from television except for guest appearances as Mr. Jefferson on shows such as “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” the movie “Sprung” and commercials for Gap, Old Navy, Denny’s and dry cleaning conventions.

Recently, Hemsley appeared as himself on the animated sitcom, “Family Guy.”

“I always told my mother I wanted a job where I could have a lot of fun and have a lot of time off,” Hemsley said. “She asked me where I was going to find that, and I said, ‘I don’t know, but it’s out there.’”

Hemsley most definitely found that job.

“The whole show biz thing has been great,” Hemsley said. “It’s still just as much fun.”

Appearing with Hemsley will be WIP radio personality and Sarcasm owner Steve Trevelise, along with “Phil from Mt. Airy” from “The Fanatic” and Dr. Danny Broad.

Tickets for Sherman Hemsley’s performances on May 21 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. are $25, and $20 for senior citizens 65 and older.